World War II/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby is watching a TV program about World War II. Tim walks in. TV NARRATOR: With the Allied advances in the Ruhr Valley, the driven army was on the run... TIM: Every time I come in here, you're watching some World War II show. Tim waves his hand in front of Moby's face to get his attention, but Moby continues to stare at the screen. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Can you give me a rundown of World War II? From, Primo. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Oh, so now you're with me? World War II was fought between the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan. An animation shows the flags of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan. TIM: And the Allied Powers: England, France, the Soviet Union, the U.S., and a lot of other smaller countries. An animation shows the flags of England, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. TIM: The major aggressor of WWII was Germany, led by Adolf Hitler. Hitler's Nazi Party wanted to take over all of Europe, and quite possibly the world after that! An animation shows a picture of Adolf Hitler with the Nazi flag behind him. TIM: The war started in September of 1939 with the German blitzkrieg of Poland. An animation show the map of Europe. It shows half of Poland turning red. MOBY: Beep? TIM: In German, blitzkrieg means "lightning war." It's a fast, overwhelming invasion. An animation shows Nazi soldiers marching with enemy war planes flying over them. TIM: 'England and France declared war on Germany. At the time, the Soviet Union was allied with Germany. The Soviets took the eastern part of Poland, while the Germans occupied the western half. ''The animation shows the western half of Poland being colored brown. 'TIM: '''After a six month break, The German army went on to defeat Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Belgium. All of these countries fell quickly. Next, Germany took over France which surrendered in June of 1940. But a secret French resistance movement fought the Germans all through the war. ''The countries Tim mentions turn red on the map. '''TIM: Nevertheless, Germany used France as a base to attack England by air. An animation show three arrows pointing from France to England. TIM: The German Luftwaffe, or air force, attacked military targets in England. When the British refused to surrender, the Luftwaffe bombed London and other cites! An animation shows London buildings on fire as spotlights point toward the sky. TIM: But England's Royal Air Force, or RAF, managed to successfully defend their country against the Germans. An animation shows RAF fighter planes at a base in England. TIM: The U.S. hadn't entered the war yet, but supplied England with naval support, weapons, and equipment. An animation shows a cargo ship carrying naval support, weapons, and equipment to a dock with another ship passing by. TIM: In 1941, Germany broke it's pact with the Soviet Union, and invaded it. This was a big mistake. The Germans suffered huge losses there. An animation shows German soldiers dying and shivering in a snowy forest. TIM: In December of 1941, the U.S. finally entered the war after the Japanese bombed the naval port at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. The U.S. sent troops to three areas, or theaters, of war. An animation shows Pearl Harbor being bombed by planes. TIM: One was the Pacific theater, to fight Japan, in an "island-hopping" campaign. The second was against the Germans in North Africa and Italians in Italy. And finally, the U.S., along with British and Canadians, sent a massive force to France to England. Animations show maps of the three theaters of war and their surroundings. TIM: They landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944. This invasion is known as D-Day. The screen shows soldiers landing on the beaches of Normandy. MOBY: Beep? TIM: It really doesn't stand for anything; it's just D-Day, the day when things happen. After the invasion of Normandy began, it was really just a matter of time before Germany would fall. The Germans had to fight the allies on two fronts: Europe and the Soviet Union. The Soviets met up with the other allies in the German city of Torgau. An animation shows a map of Europe. Areas occupied by the Allies are highlighted in blue and sandwich German territory, highlighted in red, between the two fronts. The eastern and western parts of German territory gradually turn blue. The German city Torgau is marked with a star on it. TIM: Germany surrendered on May, 7, 1945. An animation shows a white flag waving over Germany on the map. TIM: Meanwhile, the Japanese were able to hold off American forces in the Pacific. President Truman decided to end the war quickly with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima... and then Nagasaki. An animation shows a map of the Pacific theater, with Axis territory highlighted in red. It zooms in on Japan and marks Hiroshima and with nuclear bomb icons. TIM: It's the only time an atom bomb has been used in war. Japan surrendered in mid August 1945. An animation shows a white flag waving over Japan on the map. TIM: So that's World War II. Does that answer all your questions? MOBY: Beep. Moby takes the TV remote and turns the screen off, fading to black. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts